There would not be thickness enough in the
walls separating the secret chamber from the passage or the rooms on
either side of it; but the chimney would not be of the same width as
the open fireplace below, and there might well be a space there
sufficient for a good-sized closet. It was here, therefore, that she
determined to begin her search. The next night, then, after touching
the springs and entering the secret chamber, she began carefully to
examine each stone in the wall next the fireplace at a distance about
four feet above the ground.
In five minutes she uttered an exclamation of satisfaction. One of the
stones, above eighteen inches square, although like the rest fitting
closely to those adjoining it, was not, like the others, bedded in
cement. So close was the join that it needed a close inspection to see
that it was different from those around it. Still, upon close
examination, it was evident that it was not cemented in. Taking out a
penknife from her pocket, she found that the joint was too close even
to allow this to be inserted for any distance. There was no keyhole or
any other visible means of opening it, and she searched the walls in
vain for any hidden spring.
For a whole week she continued the search, but without the slightest
success, and at last began almost to despair; for at the end of that
time she was convinced that she had passed her fingers again and again
over every square inch of the floor and walls within her reach.
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